


Just a Little, Embarrassed

by Matryoshka_Seven



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Non-Sexual, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:54:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matryoshka_Seven/pseuds/Matryoshka_Seven
Summary: Naruto and Shikamaru didn't mean to find out Gaara's secret. Naruto was intent to just ignore it, but Shikamaru was too worried about Gaara to forget the pacifier he caught him using. After some research Shikamaru decided to try to help him.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 15
Kudos: 16





	1. Gaara's Secret

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a very good friend of mine in an attempt to cheer them up. It should be noted again that there is no sexual contact between anyone in this, and the intimacy shown between the 'age regressed' character and the others will be purely platonic.   
> Not sure how I feel about posting something concerning such a sensitive topic, so this might very well be the only chapter I ever post of this. If you want to see a continuation please comment so I know that I know people are actually interested in reading more of this story.

“He’s probably just dozed off, maybe we should leave him alone?” Shikamaru suggested as he followed Naruto up the stairs to Gaara’s dorm room. 

“No way, he has my book! I need to study so I can beat that stupid Sasuke on the next test. We made a bet,” Naruto led the way up the stairs taking them two at a time. “I’m totally gonna beat him this time! You promised to tutor me, remember? Can’t do that without my book,” He knocked on the door and then immediately began to open it. “Gaara can go back to sleep or something, he doesn’t need to study,” 

“Naruto, seriously, don’t you know anything about personal sp--” Shikamaru cut himself off then because Gaara made an alarmed sort of squeaking noise and scrambled up out of the bundle of soft baby blue blanket he was curled up in.

“Is that a _pacifier_?” Naruto asked aloud, and Gaara (Seeming to just notice that it was in his mouth), threw it down and piled it under the blankets. It was a quick movement, but not quick enough for Shikamaru to miss that the object was neatly decorated with little glittering stones and the words ‘Good Boy’ on the handle of it. 

“What are you two doing in my room?” Gaara demanded, looking more furious than Shikamaru had seen him since they’d become friends. 

Naruto snapped back to his own goal immediately, determined as ever. “You have my book. Shikachan here promised to help me study if I buy him lunch for the next week! I’m seriously gonna beat Sasuke this time,” 

Gaara shot them both murderous glares and practically threw the book at Naruto before throwing them out of his dorm and slamming the door behind them. Naruto seemed to forget the strangeness of the incident immediately, but Shikamaru couldn’t help lingering on the fearful expression he’d seen on Gaara’s face for a split second before it shifted to anger. _And the pacifier...where do you even get a customized pacifier from? That wasn’t the type of thing that’s made for a baby obviously. What kind of adults even still use those things?_

_It wasn’t disgust but confusion and worry for his friend that made Shikamaru think about it for the rest of that evening, and the next morning. He brought it up to Naruto, who was obviously of the opinion that it wasn’t really their business what Gaara chose to do in his own room._

“But he looked so upset,” Shikamaru pointed out as they crossed the street. “I think we should talk to him, Naruto. Apologize or something. We shouldn’t have just busted in there you know,” 

Naruto sighed and drained the last of the coffee in his hand, stifling a yawn before he answered. “Alright, fine. You go and talk to him. Tell him I said i’m sorry, too. I Have to go see Iruka-sensei before classes start. You’ve always been smarter than me anyway, you’re good with words,” 

Shikamaru grunted noncommittally in answer and watched Naruto run off. He looked for Gaara in all the normal places--he even took a moment to ask Temari, who was only slightly annoyed to see him so early. 

“I told you I wanted a break, Shikamaru, you’re not going to bother me again asking questions are you?” she raised her eyebrows at him as he approached. Kankuro only glanced up from the notebook he was writing in, obviously deciding to ignore him as he looked back down and began to write again. 

Shikamaru winced and remembered the fight they’d had earlier that month. He’d thought they had broken up entirely but apparently she was still willing to give him a chance if he left her alone to figure things out long enough. Or so he hoped anyway. “No, you made your point. I don’t mind waiting as long as you need me to, this is about something else. I’m looking for Gaara. Naruto and I kinda interrupted his nap yesterday I guess and I wanted to apologize. Have you seen him?” Shikamaru looked around again though he knew that Gaara wasn’t here as he had looked when he walked up. 

She shook her head. “Haven’t seen him all morning actually. I’ll let him know you were looking though,” 

Shikamaru sighed. Should he ask Temari about the pacifier? ...no, it felt like a breach of privacy. What if she hadn’t known about Gaara using one of those either? It was bad enough that he and Naruto knew, Shikamaru didn’t want to be the one to spill that sort of...whatever it was to his siblings as well. Then Gaara might never forgive him. “Alright. Well just tell him that I said we’re sorry, and we hope he’s not upset with us or anything,” He walked off, puzzling hard over what it might mean. 

Even Naruto noticed that Gaara was avoiding them by the end of the day. He saw his friend across the parking lot and called out to him as he always did. “Gaachan! Hey!” Instead of stopping to let him catch up or turning to walk towards Naruto, he glared at him and began to walk faster away. Naruto faltered and stopped. _Wait, is he mad at me for waking him up still? I thought Shikamaru apologized for me?_

Shikamaru was in the library when Naruto found him. “Hey, did you um, talk to Gaara yet today? I just tried to call him and he glared at me and walked off, is he still pissed at me?” 

Shikamaru sighed and put his book away. He’d thought perhaps it might be his imagination, but Gaara had been avoiding him as well. If it was also Naruto there was no mistaking the reason. Something about that pacifier had made Gaara very angry at them. “He wouldn’t talk to me, either…” He looked around and leaned closer to Naruto to keep from being overheard. “Look, Naruto, didn’t you see what he had when we came in there?” 

Naruto blanked for a long moment before the realization hit. “Oh, the Pac--” he began, but Shikamaru cut the word off quickly. 

“Yes, that. I really don’t think we were meant to see that, so don’t tell anybody you saw it alright? I’ll try to figure out what it might mean. Maybe if we understand more about it he won’t be so angry with us,” Shikamaru stood and gestured for Naruto to sit. “While you’re here you need to keep studying for that test. I’ll be busy for an hour or two with my own stuff but after that you can come to my dorm,” He walked off and Naruto set to work studying. Shikamaru hadn’t become good friends with Gaara until he had started dating Temari. Even after he and Temari separated for a while he had thought that Gaara still perhaps considered him a friend. It was more than a little upsetting to find that he might have hurt Gaara somehow, and that flash of fear in his eyes when they snapped open and he realized they’d come in was haunting. 

A quick search of the internet explained a few things, and brought up other confusing questions that he couldn’t answer without Gaara himself. Still the main part of it was, the part that Shikamaru was most sure about, was that using a pacifier was not only relatively common but it was also something of a comfort item. The fact that he’d been alone in the room just sleeping made Shikamaru think that it was probably more like a coping mechanism for trauma than a kink as some people apparently used it for. Not that Shikamaru particularly cared either way. He'd always thought of Gaara like more of a brother than a friend, or perhaps that was wishful thinking on his part. 

When he finally thought he understood enough to be able to explain the most probable option to Naruto, he called his friend over. As luck would have it he was already on his way to study. “Hey! I think i’m starting to get the hang of this, Shikamaru, those notes you gave me were really helpful,” Naruto said as he walked in, dumping his books out on the table. 

“Before we do that I have to tell you something,” Shikamaru gestured to the screen of his computer and Naruto just raised his eyebrows when he saw it open on adult pacifiers and “Littles” so Shikamaru continued. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of being a ‘little’ before?” He began hopefully. 

Naruto shrugged. “Yeah, I know a couple people who are. I guess you’re new to all that, huh?” Naruto seemed very amused about the whole thing for some reason, but Shikamaru decided not to ask. 

“Yes this would be my first experience with it. Not that it matters. The important part is that I’ve realized that Gaara probably thinks that we’re looking down on him for it or something. Why else would he be avoiding us? Me I could understand, but you? You’re his best friend, Naruto. We have to figure out how to show him that we’re not going to think any different of him for this. He’s probably feeling very vulnerable and scared,” Shikamaru felt his chest twist at the idea that Gaara might very well be sitting alone worrying over whether or not his friends would support him for who he was. The idea that he might decide not to be Gaara’s friend over something like a coping mechanism was disturbing to say the least. 

Naruto only had to think about what he should do for a few seconds. Having experience with littles definitely helped. “Well, why don’t we buy him a stuffie?” Naruto offered, already flipping his book open. “And write a little note that says we’ll be here for him no matter if he’s little or not. Or, I dunno, you can think of something better to say but that’s basically the most important part isn’t it? Gaara has been my friend for years now, I wouldn’t abandon him just because he’s little. Littles are cute,” 

‘Stuffie’ was a word that he’d only learned that afternoon, but the fact that Naruto knew it without reading was quite telling. Shikamaru made a mental note to figure out later just what sort of experience Naruto had with littles. It was a relief that he seemed to know more about the subject than he was telling, but it still made Shikamaru curious. Questions for another time. I have to make sure Gaara isn’t too upset by it. “Yeah that sounds good,” he decided. “I’ll stop by the store tomorrow, we don’t have classes so i’m sure Gaara will be in his dorm,” Naruto nodded in agreement, and they both refocused on the task at hand. Naruto had a way of focusing more than anyone Shikamaru knew, so time went by quickly. Before he knew it Naruto was leaving and he was alone with his thoughts, and the pages still up on his computer. 

Just as promised, Shikamaru went to the store the next day after writing out a short letter to leave with it at Gaara’s dorm. With any luck he’d be there. Shikamaru took way longer than necessary looking at the toys, more confused than anything else as he wondered which one would be better. Finally he just picked up a fluffy pastel blue bear with a red ribbon around its neck that perfectly matched the shade of Gaara’s hair. I can just get him another one later if he’d like something else better, he decided. 

The waiting at the door was more nerve wracking than Shikamaru thought it would be. There was no way he’d ruined their friendship was there? He knocked, and then cleared his throat. “Gaara? I just want to talk. I’ll wait out here long as I have to, I know you’re in there,” he called after a few seconds of silence when he got the feeling of being watched. He almost thought Gaara might not even open the door until he did. 

The door swung open abruptly and Gaara glowered across at Shikamaru. “What are you doing here? This time you have no reason to be. Haven’t you invaded my privacy enough, Nara? Do you _want_ me to hurt you?” He snapped. 

Shikamaru sighed and in lieu of speaking just offered the gift bag that the store clerk had put the bear in. When Gaara finally took it and looked inside his face went blank but since he was watching closely Shikamaru saw the way his eyes lit up at the toy for a second before he suppressed it. 

“...what is the meaning of this?” Garaa asked in monotone after a few seconds. 

“Well, I saw the pacifier you were using, and I looked a few things up… I guess I can’t fault you for not telling me you were a little but now that I know wouldn’t it be better for me to just support you the same as always?” He tilted his head slightly and studied Gaara’s face closer as his friend seemed to be struggling with holding something back. “You’re my friend no matter what, Gaara. And besides that so is Naruto. He suggested that it might be a good idea to buy you one of these,” Shikamaru glanced back down at the bag. “You hate it, don’t you? I’ll get a better one next time,” 

Gaara looked back up at him, and then back down at the teddy in the bag. It was clear by the expression on his face that he wanted to say something. There was another long silence, and he slowly shifted back through the door. Only when Shikamaru stepped in and closed it did he take the bear out. “Um… Next time?” Gaara asked very softly. 

Shikamaru smiled. “Is that alright?” 

Gaara looked up at him and very slowly, as if he was working to convince himself that it was alright, hugged the bear to his chest. “I suppose it is,” Gaara admitted, and smiled. He looked down at the bear. “...I thought you’d laugh at me or something. I don’t have all that many friends, I can’t--” He cut himself off and pressed his face to the bear for a second. His voice came muffled as he continued. “Are you sure it’s alright? Wouldn’t it be weird that I act like a kid?” 

Naruto’s statement from before came to mind and Shikamaru felt himself smiling wider. It was sort of cute wasn’t it? “I don’t think it’s weird. Anyway we’re still going to be your friends no matter what. You can be yourself around me, Gaara. I’m not gonna judge you or anything,” He paused for a second to pick up the bag and fold it up out of the way. “I might spoil you a little though, if you let me. I want to buy you one that you like, what sort of stuffies do you want?” 

Gaara just stared at him for a long few seconds, eyes wide in surprise, until finally the ‘little’ part of him won out and he spoke in a very soft and slightly excited voice. “I only ever had two before,” He admitted, and hugged the bear tighter to his chest. “Um, three now I guess. I like this one, it’s very cute,” 

“I’ll have to fix that, won’t I,” Shikamaru decided. “Seriously though, Gaara, I’m sorry we just walked in on you. I really didn’t mean to startle you like that,” 

He turned away to sit on the couch, pulling his legs up beneath him and taking a second to pull the blanket up around his shoulders too. “I Know you didn’t,” He answered distantly. There was a pause and Gaara looked up at him. “Um, do you...want to watch cartoons with me?” 

Shikamaru sat down beside him. “Sure. What’cha watching?” he was paying attention more to Gaara’s face as it lit up when he explained the plot of the simple cartoon than the actual storyline of it. Looking at him, the difference was surprising. He was happier now, and he didn’t seem so stressed out or tired. Shikamaru had worried about Temari's brother the more he got to know him, and now that he knew a way to help him he was quite happy to do so. 

Spending just a single afternoon with him showed Shikamaru that it clearly did help him, especially as just over halfway through the movie they were watching Gaara fell asleep curled up beside him, his head on Shikamaru’s shoulder. Instead of waking him up Shikamaru waited until the movie was over and gently shifted him, moving Gaara so he was laying more comfortably on the couch. 

“You goin now?” Gaara asked in a sleepy, half mumbled voice when Shikamaru sat up straight from lifting him to put the pillow under his head. 

“Yeah, it looks like you need a nap now,” Shikamaru answered quietly. “You can call me later when you wake up if you need anything, alright?” 

Gaara’s eyes opened slightly and he took the bear that Shikamaru offered him. “Tanks for stayin wif me,” he snuggled deeper into the blanket and his face contorted with worry. “You really don’t think i’m weird?” 

“Well, you are, but not for this,” Shikamaru answered jokingly, pulling a wider smile in an attempt to reassure him. “Your best friend is _Naruto_ , so being weird sort of comes with the territory,” 

Gaara laughed at this, and closed his eyes. Shikamaru wondered why it was that he suddenly wanted to take care of Gaara as if he really was a child. There’s probably a word for that too. I’ll figure it out myself, there’s absolutely no way that i’m going to ask Naruto about that. He remembered a few of the videos he watched by people who also did this sort of thing and Shikamaru decided to test something out. If it didn’t work he could just apologize again, right? “Sweet dreams, little one,” he tucked the blankets up more comfortably around Gaara. “Want me to turn the lights out as I go?” 

“Uh-huh,” Gaara answered, now staring at him and smiling more than Shikamaru had ever seen him.

Shikamaru smiled at him again and turned out the light, taking the bag with him as he gently closed the door behind him. 

Gaara took a second to think about everything that had happened after Shikamaru left. Maybe it would be okay… He’d been so very nervous after waking up to find Shikamaru and Naruto had caught him using a pacifier. They were two of his best and only friends these days after all. Sure he trained a lot with Rock Lee, but they hardly ever got the time to really talk with how much he trained. That had been the reason for him avoiding Shikamaru and Naruto after they saw it--they couldn’t reject him if he rejected them first, he had reasoned. They couldn’t make fun of him if he just avoided them. 

Still, he was glad it hadn’t worked out that way. Gaara hugged the bear tighter to his chest and smiled into the darkness. He hadn’t really meant to let himself go so far into little space. He hadn’t done it at all around other people, at least not openly, but seeing Shikamaru’s easy reaction to it he was starting to think that he could trust him about this. Perhaps with their help he could even finally tell his siblings about it like he’d been thinking of the past few months. He’d have to tell them eventually since they came to his room so often, especially if Shikamaru made good on his promise to “Spoil” Him. There was only so many places to hide stuffed animals in a small dorm room after all. Gaara decided to allow himself to be excited about it. Why not, after all? It made him happy, and it wasn’t like he was hurting anyone. Just why was he trying to keep himself from doing this if it helped him so much? He drifted off to sleep then with the last thought in his mind being Shikamaru’s soft and calming voice saying ‘sweet dreams, little one’.


	2. Unaccustomed to Trusting

It was strange, seeing Shikamaru and Naruto after they found out about his secret. Naruto treated him the same as ever, thankfully, and Shikamaru just seemed to be more interested in what he had to say. He was walking to their usual restaurant where Naruto was going to make them lunch and Shikamaru kept asking him random questions. 

“What’re you thinking of getting? I usually just pick the same thing every time,” Shikamaru glanced at him and shoved his hands in his pockets. Gaara seemed as subdued as usual, but he was watching close to see the flickers of emotion that could be barely caught in his eyes. He’d only be able to help Gaara when he was regressed if he knew how, and to do that he had to gather as much information as he possibly could. Even the smallest detail might be very important later. 

“I usually get the same thing, too,” Gaara answered in a sullen mumble. “The special,” 

“Naruto’s gonna buy us desert too, so we should probably decide that as well,” Shikamaru smirked at Naruto then, just watching him to see how long it took him to process this. 

“What?” Naruto burst, loud and jarring as usual. “You didn’t say desert! That’s not fair!” 

Shikamaru just smirked at him. “You’ll beat him in that test if you follow my schedule, Naruto. Don’t you want to win that bet?” 

Naruto scowled at him, but sighed in annoyance. “I guess it can’t be helped. I don’t mind buying Gaara desert but you’re annoying,” he snapped at Shikamaru, more annoyed at being tricked into it than anything else. “I don’t know why I hang out with you so much these days,” 

“Probably because he’s smart and you’re hoping it’ll rub off on you in time for finals,” Gaara cut in, sweeping past both of them into the door. Shikamaru looked up just in time to see a very small smile on Gaara’s face. 

_“Hey!”_ Naruto followed, scandalized, and then laughed. “You’re right, but you didn’t have to _say it out loud,”_ he added, elbowing him in the side. 

“I don’t mind, Naruto,” Shikamaru came up behind them and stretched to look up and around at the room as they took their seats. “You’re buying me lunch after all,” 

Naruto frowned at him. “You know i’m not trying to date you, right?” 

Shikamaru shot him a frown. “Don’t be ridiculous, Naruto. That’s not funny. You know I have a girlfriend,” 

Gaara looked between them. “I thought she broke up with you?” He wondered. Temari was complaining about Shikamaru last time he had bothered to pay attention, but that had been a couple weeks ago. 

“Well, not exactly,” Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his face. “I don’t know what I did but she said she needs a break. I’m hoping if I just leave her alone she’ll give me another chance so until I know for sure i’m still considering her my girlfriend. Look, why did we start talking about my love life? This is embarrassing, let’s just eat,” He shot Naruto a pointed look. “Or next time should I bring Choji instead?” 

Naruto’s paled. “No! No, point made, subject dropped, what are you guys getting?” He changed the subject quickly as Shikamaru had hoped he would and next thing they knew the three of them were too busy eating to be bothered with overly personal subjects. 

Shikamaru only noticed the change in Gaara’s eyes because he was watching him closely. They went dim and he kept blinking hard as if to clear dust from his eyes. Finally, he looked up at Shikamaru and there was a flash of emotion that though Shikamaru couldn’t quite place, was very disconcerting. Shikamaru was about to lean over and ask what was wrong when suddenly Gaara stood and walked off.

“Bathroom is down the left hall and on the right,” Naruto called after him assuming that’s where he was going. 

Shikamaru waited about five minutes before following. He walked up as a man turned away and growled a curse under his breath in frustration. “Someone’s locked the door,” The man explained, looking very angry. “Dickhead wouldn’t even answer me. I’m going to get the manager,”

“Don’t worry about bothering, I’ll take care of it. I think my friend is just sick in there, I’ll walk him home myself. Give me about five minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience, sir,” After the man left Shikamaru knocked lightly on the door. “Hey, are you in there? It’s me, I just want to make sure you’re alright,” He called. There was a long silence, and the door unlocked. Shikamaru quickly entered and locked the door behind him before turning to look at Gaara, who was crying. 

“What’s wrong, Gaara?” 

He looked down and avoided his eyes. “I have to go,” He whispered, barely audible. “I gotta go, I can’t be here no more. I’m stuck, I tried to go back to being big so I didn’t bother nobody but I couldn’t…” His voice cracked and he seemed to curl in on himself again. “I k-keep getting bad memories and they won’t stop and i’m sorry,” 

Shikamaru crossed to gently put his hands on Gaara’s shoulders and look him in the eye. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll help, alright? Stay here and wash up a little, I’ll go tell Naruto that you’re sick. He won’t mind leaving now since he’s got to study anyway,” 

Gaara sniffed again and nodded, but the tears kept rolling down his face even as he tried to wipe them away. “I’m s-sorry,” 

“Don’t be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong,” After hesitating just a moment Shikamaru hugged him. Instead of flinching away as he feared he might, Gaara latched onto the contact and hugged him, grabbing the front of his shirt in his fist and crying. 

It took Shikamaru a few more minutes of gently whispering comforting words to Gaara and just listening to him quietly spill out the memory of the man who had taken care of him telling him that he had never loved him, and that he had volunteered when his father wanted someone to kill him. Shikamaru winced and grit his teeth hard in anger--how could anybody treat a child that way? No wonder Gaara was so traumatized. It was beyond fucked up.

“Feeling okay enough to walk home now, little one?” Shikamaru asked softly. Gaara smiled a little at the affectionate term and nodded, wiping his eyes with the heels of his palms. “You wash your face and hands and I’ll go tell Naruto, alright?” He waited for Gaara to nod before leaving the bathroom. He passed the man who had complained, smiling a little when he saw that the manager looked very worried. If someone was sick in their restaurant there was of course the chance that it had been them to do it. He had to do damage control. 

“It’s not all that bad, Sir,” Shikamaru assured him. “I’ve gotta get him home though so he’s not making anybody wait for the bathroom. My friend will pay our tab,” He gestured to Naruto. “Sorry again for the inconvenience,” He quickly left to talk to Naruto, who was already a bit worried about them. 

“What happened?” 

“Gaara’s a little sick,” Shikamaru explained. “I’m gonna take him home. You should study anyway, don’t forget to go over those notes,” 

“I’ll do that right after I pay for this! Tell Gaara I said I hope he feels better soon, ok?” Naruto promised, already half focused on the work. He rushed off with his usual exuberance and Shikamaru quickly returned to the bathroom to fetch Gaara.

“Shouldn’t be too long of a walk,” He explained as they walked out. Gaara kept his head down, looking for all the world as if he was about to throw up. “Don’t worry, we’ll get there soon,” He promised. “Do you need anything from me right now?” 

Gaara just shook his head and sped up a little. He felt a little better after having talked to Shikamaru about the memories but even still he was locked in a whirlwind of nightmares threatening to overwhelm him--he wasn’t even sure what it had been. Something had triggered the memory but there was no way to make it stop as quickly as he wanted it to. He was well and truly trapped. He felt exactly the same as he had then, locked in those feelings and the headspace of a young child. It took all of his self control not to just cry right there in the restaurant, and only because he’d been there with Shikamaru he had been able to avoid doing anything rude to get away. 

Shikamaru walked quickly with him all the way up to his dorm and unlocked it for him when he fumbled with the key. Gaara felt himself breaking down again as soon as he crossed the threshold into a safer room. Shikamaru moved to gingerly hug him, pulling his arms tighter around him when Gaara turned to push his face into his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Gaara whispered, voice muffled from both the tears as well as the shoulder he was speaking into. “I’m sorry. I ruined your day didn’t I, I’m sorry,” 

“You absolutely didn’t, Gaara, don’t you even worry about that. Why don’t we sit down, huh? I’ll help you out of your coat and shoes,” 

Gaara, still half crying, just nodded mutely and let Shikamaru pull off his coat, hang it on the door, and lead him to the couch to take his shoes off for him. When they were off and put by the door Gaara pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. Shikamaru sat beside him and he leaned into him, desperate for some sort of contact that would make the bad thoughts go away. 

“How about I put on a cartoon for you?” Gaara shook his head again, fearing that if he opened his mouth he’d start crying again. To his relief Shikamaru didn’t push anything. Instead he just pulled him closer into his arms and hugged him. Gaara closed his eyes tight and just cried again. 

About fifteen minutes later, he was asleep in Shikamaru’s lap. Shikamaru himself hadn’t felt until that moment just how heavy things were for Gaara--he clearly didn’t have as much control over this as Shikamaru had assumed. Yet another wave of protectiveness washed over him and he turned to grab the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch they were on. He moved gently so as not to wake Gaara, draping it over him and brushing back his hair. 

Gaara wasn’t sure how long it had been when he woke up. He was curled up on the couch with his head resting in Shikamaru’s lap. Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression, gently brushing his hand over Gaara’s hair. “I fell asleep,” Gaara mumbled. He didn’t want to sit up because it felt nice to be cuddled like this--it wasn’t something he’d ever really been allowed to do before. 

Shikamaru looked down at him and smiled. His hand stopped moving to rest on his head. “Yeah you did. You feel any better?” 

“Uh-huh,” Gaara closed his eyes again and snuggled closer to him. “Are you gonna go now?” 

“Do you want me to go?” Shikamaru wondered. Gaara looked up at him and pulled the blankets up under his chin, half hiding his face. He shook his head. “Then I won’t go,” He couldn’t help smiling. “What do you wanna do today, little one?” 

Gaara made a soft squeaking noise and snuggled into the blankets to hide his face for a second. “I like when you call me that,” He admitted when his face was completely hidden. “I only gots cartoons we can watch,” 

Shikamaru reached to grab the remote and turn the system on. “Hmm, that’s not enough to do, is it? I’ll have to get a few things for you so we have other things to do when we hang out,” 

Gaara peaked up at him through the blankets. “Really?” 

“Sure. Why not? I like taking care of you,” Shikamaru gently tapped his nose as it poked through the blankets. “Hopefully one day you’ll be my little brother, so of course I care about you,” 

Gaara giggled again and hid his face again, but after a second sat up with the blankets still curled around him. “You wanna _marry Temari?”_ He asked. “Did you tell her that?” 

Shikamaru sighed. “No not yet. Don’t tell her I said that, ok? She’s still… I guess pretty unhappy with me. I just hope I can make up for whatever it is that I did to let her down,” He rubbed his face and offered the remote to Gaara so he could pick a cartoon. “She said she wanted a break so I’m trying to leave her alone until she says…” 

Gaara peeked at him through the blankets. “She says you don’t know how to be romantic,” he played a cartoon series about a yellow monster that had bright red spots and after a moment’s hesitation, laid back down so he was cuddled up with Shikamaru. “She didn’t say not to tell you that part though,” Gaara laughed quietly and grinned up at him. “I guess she didn’t think I would care. She likes you but she said that maybe if she settles for you she won’t never know how it feels to be romanced. I don’t know what that part means though,” 

He could have kicked himself. Looking back it was obvious--they’d never gone on particularly romantic dates, but he had assumed she didn’t care since she never mentioned it. “Thanks for telling me that, little one,” He answered after a few moments of silence. “I’ll have to see if I can change her mind about that won’t I. I’ll think about that later though, right now lets just watch cartoons. What’s this one called again?” 

“Maggie and the ferocious beast!” Gaara informed him from his bundle of soft blankets. “I like Hamilton, he lives in a box,” 

“He looks very nice,” Shikamaru answered. They lapsed into silence for a while, just watching, until Gaara started to squirm as he looked around for something. “...what’cha lookin for?” 

“My, um, my paci,” Gaara admitted softly. “I left it in my room but Its cold I don’t wanna go get it,” 

Shikamaru tilted his head. “How about I go get it for you?” Gaara nodded and explained where he’d hidden it, so Shikamaru fetched it for him. Interestingly enough it even had a little cap on it to keep it clean. He took the cap off and offered it to Gaara, who hummed a thanks and took it with his mouth instead of taking his hands out of the comfort of the blanket. Shikamaru couldn’t help smiling a little as he returned to his seat. 

It was very easy to spend time with Gaara like this--he didn’t really talk much unless he was asked something, and he was more comfortable laughing aloud and gasping in surprise at the twists of the children’s cartoon as time went on. Shikamaru was happy to see the progress; Gaara was obviously happier like this, and the last thing he wanted to do was make him uncomfortable in the vulnerable space he’d allowed him into. 

A ring of Gaara’s cellphone startled him out of the peaceful reverie. He peaked at it and winced. “Ish Temawi,” his voice was garbled by the obstruction in his mouth as he whispered to Shikamaru, looking up at him with wide eyes. He took the pacifier out of his mouth then to speak as he realized that he might not be able to understand. “I don wanna talk to her she’s gonna make me go big again,” 

Shikamaru smiled. “Do you want me to answer for you? I can tell her that you’re sick like I told the people at the restaurant?” 

Gaara looked down guiltily and pulled the blankets farther up around his shoulders. “Isn’t it mean to lie?” 

“Well… sometimes it is, but Temari is your sister. Even if you lie now I”m sure she’d understand if she knew why. She loves you, you know,” 

“I know,” Gaara snuggled deeper into the blankets and laid down so he could hide his face in Shikamaru’s shirt front. “Can you talk to her? I don’ wanna,” 

Shikamaru picked up Gaara’s phone. “Sure thing, little one. I don’t mind at all,” He answered the phone and heard a sigh of relief in the receiver. “Before you say anything, it’s me. Gaara is right here but he’s not feeling up to talking right now so he wanted me to answer for him,” 

There was a long pause, and Temari sounded confused when she spoke. “Shikamaru?” 

“Yeah,” 

“...Gaara is okay, isn’t he?” 

Shikamaru gently brushed his hand over Gaara’s hair as he’d noticed it calmed him down. “Yeah he’s alright. Just a bit under the weather is all. Don’t worry, i’m taking care of him,” 

"Well...thanks, Shikamaru. I’ve been a little worried about him. He avoids my calls a lot,” Temari was obviously very worried by her tone. “Is he… He’s not angry with me is he?” 

“Nah, you’re his sister. He loves you, Temari, he probably just doesn’t like talking on the phone sometimes. From what I can tell he likes his privacy,” Gaara looked up at him with wide blue eyes and Shikamaru felt a little bad about lying to Temari but he knew immediately that she wouldn’t be at all upset if she knew. It was only to help Gaara after all. “Did you need something?” 

“I just wanted to make sure he was alright, I guess… He’s been acting really weird ever since I asked him about that new bear he got,” 

Shikamaru tilted his head slightly. The ‘new bear’ was obviously the soft blue one that he’d bought for him. “I’ll see what the matter is, if you like,” He offered. He already knew what it was of course but he could see if Gaara wanted to tell his sister. 

“I would really appreciate that, Shikamaru,” Temari paused, and her breath bloomed over the receiver in a loud sigh. “Look, I’m sorry for putting you on hold for so long. You don’t have to wait for me if you don’t want to, I know our relationship was never all that...big. I won’t blame you if you want to move on,” 

So Gaara was right, she really does think I can’t be romantic… “Don’t be ridiculous, Temari. Haven’t I made it clear that I’ll wait for you as long as you don’t give up on me? I don’t care if it takes years, I’m serious about us. I don’t want anybody but you. If you want time alone, that’s fine. I’ll wait patiently until you’re willing to give me a chance again,” 

“Oh,” He could hear the surprise in her voice as she answered him. “I didn’t realize you were so serious,”

“I know, i’m not really as...romantic as I should be. I see that now. Take your time thinking about whether or not you want us to continue but please realize that I’ll do everything I Can to make up for lost time if you do give me a chance. It’s up to you, I won’t be bothering you anymore with questions. Just...let me know whenever you decide, alright?” 

“Yeah, okay, don’t get ahead of yourself Nara,” Temari grumbled, sounding only a bit flustered. Shikamaru couldn’t help grinning. “I’m hanging up now. You have to take care of my baby brother. Don’t you slack off, either,” 

Shikamaru looked down at Gaara again and his expression softened as he saw he was being watched. He brushed Gaara’s hair back again. Gaara closed his eyes and sighed quietly. “I don’t slack off on important things, Temari. I’ll take care of Gaara, and i’m sure he’ll call you as soon as he’s up for it,” 

“Thanks, Shikamaru. It means a lot that you’d still care about my brother even when…” Temari trailed off. 

“You already know how much I care about you, Temari. Besides that I also care about Gaara, so of course I’ll take care of him. I Have to go for now, is there anything you want me to tell him?” 

Temari sighed again. “No, that’s ok. Just ask him to call me whenever he’s up for it. I’m just worried about him is all,” 

“I’ll pass it along for you,” Shikamaru hung up and set Gaara’s phone aside. “She was just worried about you. Thought you were angry with her or something by the sound of it,” 

Gaara sighed and pulled the pacifier out of his mouth to talk. “She keeps askin me about my stuffies and Kanuro said I was too old and they’re for babies but I dont wanna give them up,” 

“You don’t have to give them up, Gaara. But...why don’t you tell her about you being little sometimes? I’m sure she’d understand. She loves you, you’re her little brother,” Shikamaru gently brushed back his hair again. “I’m not trying to rush you, but It might make things easier. If you avoid her she’ll think you’re angry with her, just like I did,” 

He sat up and toyed with the pacifier in his hand. “I feel bad,” he admitted softly. “Im scared to tell her what if she thinks im gross or weird?” 

“She won’t think that. She’ll love you,” He leaned down to meet Gaara’s eyes. “Do you want me to help you tell her?” 

Gaara turned to look at him with wide eyes. “Can you? Please?” 

Shikamaru smiled. “Of course. I Promised I’d take care of you, little one, so I’ll help you however you need me to,” 

Gaara abruptly fell to lay on him again. “Tanks,” He mumbled. “I’m sleepy,” 

“How about we watch cartoons again until you fall asleep? I can come over again tomorrow and then we can see about getting you more stuff to play with when you’re little, does that sound fun to you?” 

He put the pacifier in his mouth and snuggled into Shikamaru’s arms. “Uh-huhn,” He answered. Shikamaru played the cartoon again and they lapsed into silence. Just as promised, Shikamaru waited for him to be asleep. Gaara was lighter to carry than he’d thought so when he fell asleep Shikamaru lifted him up in his arms and carried him to his bed. Gaara, mostly asleep, just put his arms up around him and snuggled into his arms. 

“Goodnight, little one,” Shikamaru said as he tucked the covers up over him. “Sweet dreams,” 

“Ni-niht,” Gaara spoke muffled around the pacifier. He stared up at him and had another flood of guilt. Wasn’t he bothered at all? Shikamaru was being very nice about all of this, but wasn’t he crossing some sort of line, or taking advantage of Shikamaru somehow? Gaara wasn’t sure--he’d never been able to be so open about himself before. At least...not in person. He was part of a few online groups but even there he never posted pictures of himself and he was careful that nobody could connect it to who he really was. With Shikamaru knowing, and helping him through things… It felt almost like he could be happy for once. But why did it make him feel so guilty? 

Gaara drifted off to sleep worried, but in his dreams his teddy spoke in Shikamaru’s voice and very sternly informed him that it was okay to be himself. It made him laugh, and even after he woke up and saw the dreams in the light of the morning sun he couldn’t help laughing at it.


	3. Together

Just as promised, Shikamaru returned the next day and they talked about things. Gaara was very uncomfortable discussing his little space at first, but Shikamaru didn’t press him so gradually he began to open up. “I like...colouring,” He admitted softly without looking away from the action movie they were watching. “I haven’t tried anything much to be honest so I’m not sure beyond that,” 

“I Think I saw some books at the store… How about we get a few different things just to try out? You know, building blocks, paint, play-doh?” Shikamaru looked at him and smiled. “Maybe you can pick out a new stuffie while we’re there,” 

Gaara tried to stifle the automatic excitement this pulled from him. “I-it’s embarrassing to buy that stuff in stores,” He admitted.

Shikamaru thought about this for a while as he made a snack for the both of them. “Well...we can get a birthday card for it, too, so it looks like it’s for someone else,” He decided. “Don’t think you can get out of me buying you stuff, Gaara, I already set aside a budget to spend and it’ll go to waste if you don’t pick yourself out something,” 

Gaara snorted in amusement and smiled for a moment, but the expression quickly vanished. “You don’t have to be so pushy,” he grumbled, sounding annoyed to cover up his excitement at the idea. “When do you want to go?” 

“Now is fine with me, I just need to go sometime today,” he looked over at Gaara, trying to gauge his excitement by his expression. It was nigh impossible. “We can pause this and finish it later? We’ve seen it before already,” 

Gaara shrugged and put on the air of one who didn’t particularly care as they got ready to go. Thankfully Shikamaru didn’t press him because he was finding it especially difficult not to regress again as they walked into the store and turned down the aisle that held toys. Shikamaru picked out several things; a couple coloring books, a large box of crayons, legos, and toy blocks He grabbed a few other things, but Gaara didn’t pay attention to those as he was distracted with the long row of plush toys. 

Shikamaru looked at him when he felt a hand come to gently tug at his shirt. He didn’t realize Gaara had regressed again until he spoke. “...I dunno which one to get,” Gaara whispered, looking as if he expected to be in trouble. “I never picked one by myself before. Does it gotta be a bear one?” 

“You can get anything you want, you’ve been a good boy for a long time so you deserve to get whatever you like,” Shikamaru answered softly, though he did turn to look. “Don’t worry about what anybody thinks and just think about which one you’d like to cuddle,” His smile grew wider at the barely stifled excited expression on Gaara’s face. 

Gaara stared for a while at the toys, touching a few of them as he passed. Finally he came to a fluffy rounded plush that was recognizable as a tanuki. He picked it up and looked hopefully over at Shikamaru. It was one of the bigger ones there, meaning that it was more expensive, so somehow he felt guilty about choosing it. 

“What a nice choice,” Shikamaru smiled and plucked a card from the other side of the aisle. “Now I think we got everything. Or do you want some snacks while we’re here?” 

Gaara shrugged. He already felt bad about letting Shikamaru get so much. “It’s fine,” 

“Hmm, you won’t mind if I get some things anyway will you? Sometimes I get hungry when we hang out and I’ll feel less weird about eating if I buy you some stuff too. You like Juice?” 

Gaara shrugged again, but smiled a little. “Yeah I like juice,” he agreed. It took Shikamaru some doing but eventually he and Gaara picked out several more snacks for him to eat. Shikamaru took care of the rest then, making sure it sorted out that Gaara ended up carrying the stuffie. 

“Shikamaru, what’re you doing?” Called a voice from behind them as they walked out of the store. Gaara froze, so Shikamaru turned to handle it. 

“None of your damn business, Kiba! Don’t you still owe me for lunch the other week? Are you gonna pay me back today?” Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and Kiba sighed dramatically. 

“Come on I was just _asking,_ you don’t gotta be like that,” 

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at his friend. “Why’re you so curious about my shopping anyway? Don’t you have finals to work on?” He paused and tilted his head slightly. “Or are you trying to lead up to asking me for my notes? Naruto has those, take it up with him,” 

Kiba’s grin showed that he’d hit the nail on the head in guessing that reason. “Thanks, Nara!” He called, already getting his phone out. 

“Every single time,” Shikamaru sighed to Gaara as they started back down the path to Gaara’s dorm. “Those guys have absolutely no tact,” 

“Why do they need it? You’re too nice not to just give them your notes,” Gaara pointed out. 

“True. What would be the point in not sharing them? I went through the trouble of writing the damn things out since Naruto paid me to tutor him, if he wants to share them that’s his choice,” They lapsed into silence again until they were in Gaara’s dorm. Only when he was alone did Gaara finally allow himself to relax and show how excited he was about his new stuffie. 

“You like it?” Shikamaru asked from where he was organizing the snacks into the small kitchen and setting the new toys and things out on the table so they could be organized into a bag he’d also bought. Gaara could just play it off as his bag so Temari and Kankuro would have no reason to look in it. Really he should at least tell his siblings… Kankuro i’m not sure about but I know Temari loves him too much for her to mind any of this. She’d probably love to take care of him. 

“Yeah!” Gaara answered cheerfully. “It’s fluffy!” He kicked off his shoes and threw his sweatshirt onto the ground as well before flopping on the couch. 

Shikamaru smiled crookedly and picked up his things for him, putting them neatly by the door before sitting down beside him. “Wanna colour a little with me?” 

Gaara’s face lit up. “Yeah! I gotta name my new stuffie,” As they got out the new colouring books and began to color, Shikamaru eventually got Gaara to open up more. He chattered happily on about the book, the crayons, and the new stuffie he’d gotten. They eventually settled on calling it Shukaku. 

“I think he’s very angry,” Gaara decided as he handed his pages off to Shikamaru to put away and laid down on the floor so he was looking up at the stuffed toy in his hands. “Look at his angry face,” 

“You make that face a lot, too,” Shikamaru pointed out. “Maybe you can be good friends, and teach him how to not be angry?” 

Gaara nodded sagely and abruptly curled up into a ball around his new toy. “I don’t know how to not be angry very well either,” He admitted softly. 

Shikamaru leaned down to touch his head, brushing back his hair. Gaara visibly relaxed and squirmed around so he was laying closer into Shikamaru’s reach. “That’s okay, you’re still working at it. It’s okay to be angry, as long as you don’t let yourself drown in it,” 

“What if I can’t help it?” Gaara turned to look up at him and he saw real worry in his eyes. “Sometimes I hurt people and I don’t really mean to go that far but I get so mad…” 

“Well…” Shikamaru trailed off for a moment, thinking hard to figure out what to say. It was a damn good question, and Shikamaru didn’t pretend to know best. He was still pretty young himself after all. “...Why don’t you try calling someone who you can trust and trying to work it out before you hurt them? You can always call me, and I know Naruto would always be here to help. Plus your siblings love you,” He reached to pull Gaara up onto the couch with him when he reached out for him. “You’re not alone, you know. You don’t have to deal with these things by yourself,” 

Gaara just nodded slowly and turned on the couch so he was facing the back, where it would be easier to snuggle into Shikamaru as he’d started to become more and more comfortable doing. He didn’t even have to look to make sure it was alright anymore, he was always so nice about it. 

The day was over before they knew it, and Shikamaru left after carrying Gaara to bed and tucking him in. He switched off the light and turned to go, but Gaara’s voice stopped him in the doorway. “Shikamaru?” 

“Yes?” He turned to look into the dark room--Gaara’s form was completely hidden now, except for a lump in the sheets. 

“You think I’m being stupid for not being able to tell Temari?” There was a wavering in his voice that made Shikamaru’s heart twist with worry. 

“No, not all,” Shikamaru came closer to sit on the edge of his bed and pulled the blankets up tighter around him. “It’s not easy to be vulnerable in front of people, even if it’s someone you love. She’ll understand, and I don’t think she’d be upset at all,” 

Gaara looked away. He wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t help feeling painfully guilty for being this open around Shikamaru and not his own sister who had been trying so hard to get closer to him these days. “Maybe….maybe sometime next week you can help me tell her?” He offered very quietly. 

“We can do that,” Shikamaru gently brushed Gaara’s hair back. “Don’t worry at all, little one. Your sister loves you, she would never hold a grudge for you not telling her,” He left then and gently closed the door behind him. It was a bit confusing finding himself in this situation--he loved Temari, he knew it already. And Gaara felt like a part of his family despite the rough patch that they were going through. Just being able to help him like this brought a smile to his face. _Never thought I’d be taking care of a kid so early in life though,_ he snorted in amusement as he thought to himself and locked the door behind him on the way out. Gaara had given him the spare key to his dorm room that afternoon just for convenience sake-- he always left after putting him to bed, and neither of them wanted to risk anybody else walking in while Gaara was in little space. 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Temari was more than a little worried about her little brother. Gaara was avoiding her more often than not these days--she hadn’t properly spoken to him in over a month now. About half the time she called him, _Shikamaru_ was the one to answer the phone. These days he didn’t even bother giving her a proper excuse: All he said was ‘Sorry, Temari, he just doesn’t feel like talking. You’ll understand when he’s up for explaining. Just trust me, he’s alright. He just needs a little more time to figure things out’.   
Sure she appreciated the honesty of such an answer, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. Wasn’t she Gaara’s older sister? How was she supposed to take care of him if he couldn’t even talk to her? She flopped onto her bed and groaned aloud in annoyance. The trauma of her little brother’s childhood was, at least in her eyes, partly her own fault. Sure she hadn’t known about him until late but she felt awful for not protecting him, or loving him sooner. 

So it was that when Gaara called her that day, she immediately agreed to come over. “Sure! I’ll be right there. Ten minutes,” She promised, and quickly hung up. This time had he finally called _her_ instead of Shikamaru? It wasn’t that she was angry at Shikamaru; quite the contrary, the fact that he seemed to be going through so much trouble to take care of her brother was very heartening and it definitely put more than a few points in his favor, but she couldn’t help feeling slightly jealous. What was she doing wrong that he was doing right? The face that answered the door when she knocked made her frown again.

“Shikamaru,” She grunted. He just smiled at her in the same old way, patient and affectionate. Annoyingly patient. Still, she would be lying if she said she didn’t care about him still. He had been a steady and dependable face in her life for years now, and the more she thought about it the less certain she was that she even wanted anybody else, romance be damned. There was an easy comfort in Shikamaru’s eyes. She craved fire, but after experiencing that burning passion would she even have anything left other than an urge to rest in the safe harbor that was Shikamaru’s love? And what of his promise to be more romantic? Part of her--a very big part-- wanted to just give in and see what he could do. Could he really sweep her off her feet, if she let him? Would the pay off be worth the risk of being let down? _Best not think about that right now,_ she decided as she walked into her little brother’s dorm.

“I’m making tea, do you want any?” Shikamaru closed the door after her and turned back to the side of the room that passed as a kitchen. 

“Sure,” She looked at Gaara, who was sitting on the couch toying with a vaguely familiar looking pastel blue teddy bear. “Are you alright, Gaara?” 

“I’m fine,” Gaara mumbled without looking up. “Sit down,” 

She sat. She wanted to speak but she knew her brother--if she cut him off, he’d never open up about whatever it was that had been bothering him. 

Gaara’s mind was a whirlwind of panic. It had taken a full month of Shikamaru slowly building him up for this, but eventually the day had come when he had quietly asked Shikamaru if it was alright to tell her today. He’d called, and of course she had come over immediately. Gaara wasn’t sure he was ready but it was far too late to back out now. “I Have...something to tell you,” he began haltingly. “I… It’s… I’m _different,_ ” he looked pleadingly at Shikamaru, who smiled encouragingly and set a cup of tea in front of Temari and then Gaara. She looked between them curiously but held her tongue. 

Gaara haltingly went through the secret he’d been keeping--the words “little” and “Age regression”, and then when she still didn’t particularly understand Shikamaru stepped in to explain what he’d learned over the past month or so about Gaara. The fact that it was something he did to cope with trauma, and that he didn’t always have control over it so that was why he sometimes just left with no warning. He explained the need to just enjoy the happiness that sometimes came with being ‘little’, and the ‘stuffies’ and toys that helped with this, and the fact that Gaara needed someone to help him with things as even simple tasks became ‘too big’ when he was regressed. Things like making food, answering phone calls, and even working things like buttons on his coat and his shoelaces when things were particularly bad. Shikamaru explained that he was mostly here to make sure Gaara didn’t accidentally hurt himself when he was in this state, or get himself into a bad situation.

Needless to say, it was a lot to take in. Most shocking though was not the content of what Gaara was saying but the nervous expression on his face that only grew more and more anxious as Shikamaru explained. She didn’t have to be told to know that her reaction to this particular admission could quite possibly break him. She couldn’t quite understand why it was that he needed to ‘be a child’ to deal with trauma, but her brother had never been a liar and this certainly explained Shikamaru’s behavior in the past few weeks. Frankly Temari wasn’t sure she _needed_ to ‘understand’ it to love her brother. 

“Alright,” she breathed slowly. “I can help with that,” She met her brother’s eyes and smiled wider. “Hey, you didn’t think I would be mean to you, did you? You’re my baby brother. I love you, of course I don’t mind this. It…” She looked back down at the bear Gaara was holding. “It does explain a few things. Does this mean you’re going to stop avoiding me now?” 

Gaara nodded sheepishly and pulled his knees up under him, hugging the bear to his chest. “Sorry about that… I was just worried you’d think I was weird or gross or something. I didn’t want to get rid of my stuffies, I just got them and I like them, they...make me happy,” He admitted. “You don’t… you’re not mad that I didn’t tell you?” 

Temari shifted closer on the couch and put her arm around his shoulders. “Of course i’m not. You’ll always be my baby brother you know. Now I just know that you’re even more little than I thought you were, right?” She looked at Shikamaru, who she noted was also smiling affectionately at Gaara and didn’t seem to notice that he was doing it. “You know I always did regret not being there for you when you were younger. We’ll both have to make up for lost time won’t we? I’m going to buy you the biggest stuffed animal you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” 

Gaara was both startled and excited by this prospect. “...You are?” he asked tentatively. 

“You’re damn right I am! I won’t let Shikamaru be the only one to spoil _my_ baby brother. And don’t worry about Kankuro, I can explain it all to him. He’s always been a bit thick but he loves you, too,” 

Gaara leaned into her embrace and hid behind the stuffed bear. “Thanks, Temari,” He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the prospect of telling Kankuro all of this was...intimidating. His brother had been the one to tell him he was ‘too old’ for the nice things he’d only just allowed himself to buy. There was another pause, and Gaara looked pleadingly at Shikamaru in the way that he had come to understand meant that he wanted to ask for something. 

Shikamaru considered the options for a moment before landing on the most likely reason behind the look. “Do you feel like coloring with us, Temari?” He asked in a light tone. Gaara immediately sat up, looking excited at the idea, so Temari nodded in agreement. She wasn’t even sure when the last time she’d colored was, but it was definitely good to see Gaara so happy. 

“You know, there’s supposed to be a carnival in town next week,” She offered. “How about we all go together? Could be fun,” 

Gaara looked between them and nervously scrunched his shoulders up to focus more on the lion he was coloring. “What if people make fun of me?” He asked in that soft, barely audible tone that he used when he was particularly nervous. 

“Then I’ll knock their teeth out of their heads,” Temari answered in an unwavering tone that made Shikamaru smile adoringly at her for a moment before he caught himself and looked back at his colouring page. “You’re my baby brother and I’m going to make sure you’re happy. If anybody so much as looks weird at us I’ll beat them to a pulp,” 

“I’d hate to be the guy who makes _you_ angry,” Shikamaru laughed and pulled a silly face at Gaara, who couldn’t quite stifle a giggle in response. Temaril smiled at this interaction. 

“You keep on and you _will_ be the guy that makes me angry,” she joked. “Stop hogging the green crayon, I need that one. How am I supposed to colour my trees with no green?” 

Gaara laughed again at the back and forth between the two, kicking his legs under the table. Shikamaru had been right--it was nice, being honest about who he was. At least to the people he knew would love him anyway. He wondered why it was that he’d ever thought his sister would look down on him for this. They coloured for a while, until Gaara started to get bored again and Shikamaru smoothly suggested they watch cartoons and have some dinner. He and Temari went into the kitchen and Gaara stopped listening as Shikamaru began to quietly explain the foods he made while he was taking care of him, and what he usually did to help him calm down when he regressed without meaning to because of trauma. 

Gaara ate the entire bowl of chicken nuggets that he was given, humming happily along with the theme song of the cartoon that Shikamaru put on for him. Just as he always did after he was done eating, Gaara promptly fell asleep on the couch and snuggled closer to Shikamaru, who had taken up gently brushing his hair back again. 

When he was fast asleep, Temari spoke. “So this is why you’ve been hanging around my brother these past weeks, huh?” She asked quietly as she tucked a blanket up around him. 

“Yeah. I told you that you’d understand. I couldn’t rush him into telling you,” Shikamaru was smiling down at Gaara as he spoke. “I wasn’t even supposed to know myself, honestly,” He glanced up at her and continued at the pointedly raised eyebrow she was giving him. “...You remember that day a couple months ago that I came looking for Gaara because me and Naruto accidentally woke him up when he was napping?” Temari nodded slightly for him to keep going. “Well, he was using a pacifier when we walked in. It sort of blew the whole secret wide open. I couldn’t tell you about it, I’m sure you understand why. I hope you’re not angry with me,” He looked up at her again, properly meeting her eyes this time. “I know I haven’t really been the best boyfriend out there, Temari, and I’m sure there’s more romantic places and times to say this, but…” He broke off as Gaara’s hand came up in his sleep to grab around searching and gently tucked the stuffed bear into his arms before continuing. “...I love you, Temari. And I love your family. I just wanted to help him…” He risked a look up at her and found himself falling into deep blue-green eyes. 

Temari couldn’t say that she had even remotely expected a love confession. She didn’t know how to answer--suddenly her head was full of static, and her chest was heavy with something warm and soft that she didn’t quite have a name for. Eventually though she did have to answer. It probably wasn’t the answer that Shikamaru wanted but she had a feeling that answer in particular would be here soon enough. “Thanks for taking care of him, Shikamaru. It… it really means a lot,” She smiled rather awkwardly and looked away. “I, uh… I suppose… Perhaps we can talk about going out again sometime soon. Seeing you put so much work into helping my family...it really put things into perspective for me. If you really intend to try harder...maybe it won’t be a let down to give you another chance like I thought it would be,” 

Shikamaru smiled and thought that perhaps one day he would also be part of this family. Hopefully. “I’ll have to come up with something nice,” He gently began to stand up and shift Gaara so he could carry him to bed. It was only slightly disappointing that she didn’t return his confession. He didn’t really mind, though. She was open to giving him a chance so he would just have to try his absolute best to earn her affections. If she wanted romance, Shikamaru was fully intent on blowing her expectations right out of the water. “Do you mind getting the bedroom door for me?” 

Temari stood as well and Shikamaru followed her into the bedroom to tuck Gaara into bed. As usual he stirred when he was put down, groaning softly. “You guys...leavin now?” He asked sleepily, only half opening his eyes. 

“I have to go finish some homework,” Shikamaru admitted. “You can call me if you need me though, alright? And I’m sure your sister feels the same,” He looked at Temari, who took this chance to gently tuck Gaara into bed. 

“Of course. You call me and I’ll come over right away, Gaara,” She kissed his forehead and stood. “Goodnight,” 

Gaara smiled. “G’nite, Temari,” 

“Sweet dreams, little one,” Shikamaru added as he switched off the light and silently closed the door. He and Temari didn’t speak again until they were out of the dorm and the door was locked behind them. 

“I don’t think i’ve ever seen him so relaxed before,” She admitted softly. 

“Me either,” Shikamaru agreed. “It’s… not always so nice especially when he gets flashbacks and stuff like that, but when it’s good...He certainly deserves to be happy, after all he’s been through. I don’t really care how odd it might be, I’m just happy that i can help him,” 

Temari looked up at him and smiled. “You make a good father, Shikamaru,” she pointed out. “I’m quite glad to see it. One less thing to worry about,” 

Shikamaru smiled, and then blushed when he realized the full connotations of what she had said. “I’ve always wanted kids, you know,” He answered softly. “Just like my dad. Of course… I sort of expected my kids to be a lot younger than myself, but I don’t really mind this either,” 

Temari snorted in amusement. “Hey, it’s good practice for the future isn’t it,” The more she thought about it, the more she saw the picture: Her and Shikamaru sitting around a table, perhaps one or two of their children sitting there as well. Even Gaara was there, because he would always be part of their family. Could she picture a future without Shikamaru? She didn’t really want to think about how difficult it was to imagine him not being there… at least, not _yet._


End file.
